


Severance

by topazshewyvern



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Pre-Bluepulse - Freeform, Pre-Khaji Da, Removing the Scarab, Sad, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 23:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13600920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topazshewyvern/pseuds/topazshewyvern
Summary: It took two hours to remove the Scarab from Jaimes’ back.An AU where the operation to remove the Scarab succeeded.





	Severance

The Scarab had made it obvious from the beginning that it wasn’t going to be pried from its hosts’ back without a fight.

_This Scarab cannot allow this tactic to succeed, Jaime Reyes. You have put yourself in agony unnecessarily and fruitlessly. Order the other meat to desist and all this will end at once._

The morphine drip did little to quell the pain of the operation. Jaime was frozen (Doctor Cross had been forced to shoot him full of a powerful paralyzing agent after the Scarab had taken over his limbs and attempted to attack them) on his stomach on the table as wave after wave of agony from the battle in his back rocked him.

All told, it took two hours to remove the Scarab from Jaimes’ spine. Two hours of repeated EMP shocks to stun the Scarab and slow its defences long enough for Atom and Bumble Bee to cut through the legs and pincers without immediate annihilation at the hands of the Scarabs’ ‘antibodies’. Two hours of relentless, stabbing pain. Two hours of the Scarab hissing that this was all futile, that it would not leave Jaime, not now or ever. But Bart was there through it all, gentle voice warring with that of the Scarab in his head, talking to him about the synopsi of his newfound favorite television shows when Jaime was relatively lucid and running his hands through his hair when he wasn’t, simply murmuring reassurances.

When it was finally, _finally_ , over, Jaime could do nothing but lie face down as Doctor Cross stitched up the puncture wounds where the Scarab had been attached.

“It’s over, Jaime, it’s all over, it’s gone, it’ll never touch you again, you’re free, you’re _free_.”

Once Jaime was strong enough to sit up, Atom came to the head of the table with a force field container-box in his hands. In it resided the Scarab, cleaned of all blood and little bits of flesh. The Scarab was still active. It skittered against the sides of the container as though trying to climb the force field, pincers clacking together pitifully. In all it’s attempts at escape, it was facing Jaime, trying desperately to return to its host.

Jaimes’ breath caught in his throat. The Scarabs’ voice seemed to still be echoing in his head. He laid a hand against the container. Inside, the Scarab finally stilled against the field. So close to its host, but still so hopelessly far away.

Tears crept from Jaimes’ eyes. “I’m sorry,” he choked out. Why was he crying? Why was he _apologizing?_ This, this _thing_ had hijacked his life, endangered everyone he loved and put him smack dab in the middle of a war. He had _nothing_ to apologize for, dammit! But the tears didn’t stop. No, they came flooding. Bart held his friend as Jaime sobbed, repeating the same five words over and over.

_“You left me no choice!”_


End file.
